TUBE EXPANSION APPARATUS

摘要

TITLE OF THE INVENTION TUBE EXPANSION APPARATUS An apparatus for expanding a tube against the walls of a circumscribing bore, or a sleeve within a tube to effect an interference joint therebetween, is described herein. The tube expansion apparatus generally comprises a fluid mandrel connected to a hydraulic expansion unit for applying a radially expansive force to the tube or sleeve, and a control circuit electrically connected to the expansion unit and fluidly connected to the mandrel for sensing fluctuations in the pressure of the fluid discharged from the mandrel during the elastic and plastic deformation of the tube or sleeve during the expansion process, computing a final swaging pressure on the basis of these pressure fluctuations, and deactuating the hydraulic expansion unit when this final swaging pressure is attained within the tube or sleeve. The invention is particularly adapted for minimizing or eliminating the clearance between the heat exchange tubes of a nuclear reactor, and the baffle plate bores through which they extend. The invention may also be used to generate interference joints between such heat exchange tubes, and a reinforcing sleeve inserted therein.